Higurashi no Naku Koro ni or Higurashi When They Cry has produced a huge amount of content since the first murder-mystery visual novel was produced back in 2002. Since then it has been adapted into an anime, several more videogames for PlayStation and Nintendo DS, manga and drama CDs. Now it is venturing into the world of virtual reality (VR).
An official website for the VR spinoff, titled Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Utsutsu (VR When They Cry… Utsutsu) has been launched which offers a taste of the upcoming experience using 360-degree video which shows the spooky school setting. The VR experience is based on the Atonement Chapter (Tsumihoroboshi-hen) from the original videogame, there will also be original content added to expand the experience.
The plot to Higurashi When They Cry centres around a boy named Keiichi Maebara who moves to the countryside village of Hinamizawa and makes new friends, but discovers that the pleasant rural setting of the village hides a dark secret involving the yearly festival and the murders and disappearances that coincide with it. Keiichi and the other children try and solve the mystery and prevent a terrible tragedy befalling the entire village.
The full Higurashi When They Cry VR experience will be unveiled at an event in Tokyo on 19th May, 2017. The official website was taking applications for those who wished to participate, though the applications have now closed.
There is currently no further information on if the VR experience will get a wider release after the event, or what platform the title will be presented on. However, since Higurashi When They Cry is one of the most popular franchises in Japan currently, it seems unlikely that the title would not receive a full release at some point.
VRFocus will bring you further information on Hirgurashi When They Cry VR as soon as it becomes available.